Back to Then
by allcanadianprophet
Summary: What would happen if a 'degeneration' occurred to the Doctor, just after he lost the Ponds? After returning to his tenth body, he finds himself back in Pete's World with one mission - find Rose. But, what will happened when he finds out it's been 70 years since he last saw her? Find out! Ten/Rose, briefly featuring Eleven.
1. Chapter 1

The Doctor had only just stepped outside his big blue box when he knew he had made a grave mistake.

Before leaving the safety of the TARDIS, he had been sitting alone in the library, floating through the vortex. His companions had left him again once more, lost to the lonely assassins. Now he was the lonely creature; again. He decided that he was going to finally get out of his box today. And he did.

The Doctor swung open the doors to the TARDIS – all he could hear was gunfire. Not regular, Earth gunfire – deadly, alien gunfire. And the Doctor was in the middle of it. He peered around, realizing he'd landed in the middle of a battlefield. "I never was good at the parking," the Doctor mumbled. He could hear voices yelling all around him, shouting alien slurs at each other. The old Timelord simply sighed, knowing what he would have to do in order to save some lives; something he did on all of his adventures.

"Alright, you lot. Listen up because I-" He turned to one side of the field, only to take the impact of a laser to his chest. The Doctor gasped, more out of surprise than pain. Then pain overcame him and he fell to the ground. The Doctor stayed there for a moment, trying and failing to catch his breath. "Oh no, oh no, this is very, _very _bad," he rasped, barely able to get the words out. He dragged himself back into the TARDIS, stumbling up the steps to the console.

He groaned in agony as an all-too familiar feeling washed over him – regeneration. The Doctor closed his eyes, letting the power take over his entire being. Like it had eleven times before, his arms shot out from his sides and everything went white. A flash went through his mind; the flash that signaled a new beginning.

The Doctor opened his eyes, panting a little from the process. He looked over himself; he was tall and skinny, but fit. He furrowed his eyebrows – this wasn't the first time he'd had a body like this. Running his fingers through his hair, he found a mop of brown with bits of my hair sticking out everywhere. This worried him more and more with each passing moment. Everything about him this time around seemed... familiar. With sudden realization, he ran through the TARDIS to the nearest bathroom. The Doctor stared at himself in the mirror, mouth gaping and eyes wide.

"Degeneration?!"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** All I can say is WOW! Thank you all so much for such a great response in the first day of this story being up! It feels nice to know people are reading and enjoying my writing. So, to thank you all, another chapter! Enjoy it!

Love and virtual hugs, Shannon

The Doctor was dumbfounded by the face gaping back at him. It was his face from his tenth body staring back at him. "But, this is impossible!" he shouted. The TARDIS hummed in his mind, signaling her approval at his change. The Doctor smiled softly. He walked back out into the control room, only to find that it had changed as well. It was back to the room he had once known, when he was a little bit mad and loved bananas and...

He stopped pacing and stared at the wall for a moment. "Rose." It was one word that could make him catch his breath, one word that made his two hearts skip a beat, one woman who changed his whole world.

No sooner had the word left his mouth something collide with the box, sending the Doctor flying across the room. "What the hell?" he cried as he got off the ground. The lanky man ran to the scanner to see what had hit him; there was nothing there. Obviously, whatever it was had hit him and flew off to avoid any confrontation. The collision, however, had sent the Timelord and his ship flying through what appeared to be a large window in space.

"Hang on!" he shouted before realizing he was alone. A frown played over his features, but not for long. The Doctor raced around the console, trying to get his TARDIS out of the rip in space. He could his ship humming in his mind, trying to tell him something.

"What is it? I'm a _little_ busy, if you can't see!" he cried in exasperation. She pushed an image of Rose into his mind, then of the two running from the Cybermen in Pete's World. "Pete's World," he murmured, running his fingers through his unruly brown hair.

Suddenly, it dawned on him. It wasn't just any ordinary rip in space, he had been here before, years ago. This was the void between this universe and the next; but more importantly to him, between himself and his Rose. He found himself very nearly flying over the railing as the TARDIS landed.

The Doctor grinned and shouted a very enthusiastic, "Allons-y!" before running for the doors. He flung them open, taking in the zeppelins that still flew over the city. He grinned at the memories that came to his mind – fighting the Cybermen with Rose. The man began walking in the direction of the Tyler estate. The TARDIS had landed them not to far away; he could just barely see it from where they were.

Thoughts began racing through his mind as he walked. Would she be happy to see him? Would she even care, since she had the meta-crisis? The Doctor stopped walking to ran his hands over his face. In over nine hundred years, he had never worried about a single human being as much as he did now. He was about to turn around and go back to his blue box when he heard someone calling to him.

"Doctor?"

He spun around on his heel and grinned. There stood a girl. Not just any girl though; a pink and yellow girl, who was staring at him in shock and awe. The Doctor's hearts beat faster as he looked her over. She hadn't changed at all.

"Hello, Rose Tyler."


	3. Chapter 3

Rose's hands shot up to cover her mouth as tears cascaded down her face. She crumpled to the ground, sobbing. The Doctor, slightly confused, ran to her and cradled her in his arms.

"Hey, don't cry, I'm here. I've got you." He kissed her hair, hoping to comfort her. She cried into his shirt, clinging to him. He whispered sweet nothings into her ear until her body stopped shaking as much.

"This better not be a dream," Rose murmured into his shoulder. "Because I never want to leave it." The Doctor smiled, squeezing her gently.

"Me too, Rose. Me too," he whispered before helping her onto her feet. She cocked her head and looked at him for a moment. Then, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight embrace, like they had done years before in a London street.

"Thought I'd never see you again," she mumbled into his neck. He closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around her and holding her firmly.

"I thought I'd never see you either. This is..." He pulled away and looked at her. "This should be impossible." He watched her frown, her face becoming puzzled. The Doctor reached up and lifted her chin to look back in her eyes. "Hey, it may be impossible but I wouldn't have it any other way." Her signature smile returned, her tongue poking out through her teeth. Rose took his hand and led him towards the large mansion where she'd lived since being trapped in the alternate universe. They didn't speak, only stole small glances and grins along the way. Upon reaching the house, they stepped inside and walked into the living room. The Doctor sat on the couch with Rose next to him, his arm draped around her shoulders. She smiled at him once more, causing him to grin back.

"Oh, I've missed you, Rose Tyler," the Timelord remarked, squeezing her shoulder. She laughed and nodded. "Missed you too, you daft alien." They sat together for a while, just enjoying each other's company.

"So, what's happened to you since I last saw you? When you left me on Bad Wolf Bay, again." She looked up at him, a certain sadness playing over her features. So he told her everything; about the Master, about his regeneration, about Amy and Rory and River. He told her about how he'd lost them and about his degeneration, just hours before. She listened to his story, nodding and asking few questions. Once he was done, she simply said, "Sounds like quite the adventure, Doctor."

"And what of you, Rose Tyler? Defender of the universe. Any adventure for you?" Rose frowned, looking away. The Doctor grasped her hand. "Rose?"

"Dead. They're all dead, Doctor." Her eyes were brimming with tears.

"What? What happened? An attack?" He touched her shoulder. She swung her head back to look at him.

"Doctor... it's been seventy years."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Hello everyone! Thank you ever so much for reading and being amazing. Your very kind favorites/follows/reviews have kept me updating because I just can't stop writing for you! So, enjoy the latest from this story.

Love, Shannon xo

"What do you mean? It couldn't have been, you..." The Doctor trailed off, looking at her closely. "You haven't changed at all!" He sighed, running his hands over his face. Seeing her sad expression, he kissed her forehead. "What happened, Rose?"

"Well, after you left, we all went home, carried on with our lives. Figured that's what you would want, y'know? Me and your meta-crisis, we were happy together. Got married, helped raise Mum's little boy, Tony. Everything was fine. Then they all started aging. First Pete, then Mum and eventually John too. And I had to sit back and watch them. It was awful, seeing them everyday, just getting weaker and slower. Mum went first, she had cancer for years. Pete wasn't too long after, just because of old age. Tony went off to college and moved away. Then it was just John and I, in this big house. About two years ago, John woke up in the middle of night screaming and shaking. I was going to take him to the hospital, but he told me not to. Said that they would've run tests on him since he's part Timelord. He said that... That you had regenerated, he could feel it in his mind, and that he was dying. So I stayed with him until he just stopped breathing." Rose took a deep breath, trying to fend off the tremors that were running through her body. The Doctor brought her closer to him, kissing her hair. He whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," into her ear over and over.

"Rose, why haven't you changed at all?" That made her smile, though he wasn't sure why.

"Bad Wolf." They both smiled, remembering when she had destroyed the Daleks on satellite 5. "When I looked into the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the vortex, she made me immortal so that the vortex wouldn't kill me. I was going to tell you, but then you regenerated and I..." She trailed off, looking down and shaking her head, a soft chuckle escaping from her lips.

"What, Rose?" he murmured.

"I fell more in love with you." Rose looked at him, at that daft alien who had never left her heart since the day he left her on the beach in Norway years before. "I've missed you so much," she whispered, reaching up to hold his face in her hands. The Doctor leaned into her touch, sighing happily.

"Rose." She nodded slowly. "I never got to finish that sentence." He heard her breath hitch.

"You didn't seem to want to, Doctor," she murmured, her mouth twisting into a frown.

"Only because if I did, I wouldn't have been able to leave you. But Rose; I love you. I've loved you since I told you to run and have more and more every day since. Losing you killed me, but then you came back and I-" The Doctor was cut off by a pair of lips on his. He held Rose close to him, kissing her like he'd always wanted to. She nibbled on his lip and he whimpered quietly. They stayed like that for a while, just kissing and touching. Once they pulled away, she smiled and him and said three words.

"Quite right too."


	5. Chapter 5

The two stayed on the couch for over an hour, just talking about their lives apart and the adventures they'd had during that time. The Doctor told her of the Pandorica and the weeping angels that had stolen his Ponds away. Seeing his sad expression, Rose wrapped her arms around his middle. She kissed his pout, giggling once she felt his smile return. Once they broke apart, she saw that it was slowly getting darker outside.

"Maybe we should think about dinner, Doctor," she remarked. He nodded.

"Do you have any bananas? I have the biggest craving!" She laughed and led him into the kitchen. The Doctor took a seat at the table, watching her fuss around in the kitchen. He propped his head up on his arm, a dreamy smile on his face. Rose looked over and saw him.

"What?" she asked, looking to see if something was wrong. He walked over her and placed his hands on her waist.

"You, my precious girl, are perfect," he replied, kissing her nose. She giggled, blushing. The girl looked back up at him, curiosity dancing in her eyes.

"Doctor, would you like to stay the night in the Tyler mansion?" He grinned.

"Depends. What if the TARDIS wants us back?" She jumped up and down like an excited child.

"Really? Can I travel with you again, Doctor? Please!" He laughed with her.

"Of course you can! I would-" He was cut off by the excited woman jumping into his arms.

"Oh, thank you!" she cried, hugging him tight. Then Rose pulled away, eyes sparkling. "Can we go right now?"

The Doctor, beaming away, grabbed her hand and whispered one thing to her.

"Run!" And so they did, back to their blue box.


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor swung the doors to the TARDIS open in a dramatic fashion, making Rose giggle. He gestured for her to go inside, wrapping his arm around her as she walked by him. She grinned as she made her way over to the console, running her fingers over buttons and levers.

"She hasn't changed a bit," Rose remarked as she made her way back to him.

"She changed herself back when I did." He grinned at her. "I will tell you this though, she's missed you," he said happily. "We both have." Rose grinned, her tongue poking out between her teeth. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.

"So, where to, Doctor?" The Timelord smiled, gazing around the console room.

"Anywhere. Anywhere we like. We only have forever, you know," he said cheekily, winking at her. "But I do have somewhere in particular that I was thinking of." She nodded.

"Whatever you say, sir!" They both laughed. The Doctor did his normal routine of pressing buttons, pulling levers and punching in coordinates.

"Hang on, Rose!" They grabbed each other's hands and held on as the TARDIS sped through the vortex. They both fell backwards as they landed, howling with laughter. The Doctor got up and offered her his hand. Upon getting off the floor, Rose grinned and ran to the door. She swung them open and gasped, expecting something spectacular. What she saw surprised her.

"Doctor, is this... Cardiff?"

"You bet it is, Rose Tyler!" He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Why Cardiff? Is there an alien attack or a disaster happening?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Nope, not today! We actually have a date, at the pub around the corner," he replied, kissing the top of her head.

"Well then, allons-y!" Rose said, grinning ear-to-ear. The Doctor laughed at his companion.

"Oh Rose, you crazy girl."

They left the TARDIS, holding hands as they walked. Once they got to the bar, Rose sent the Doctor a puzzling glance.

"So, why are we here?"

"Told you, we've got a date!"

"With who?" she questioned again. The old Timelord just smiled.

"An old friend." They stood outside the building and the Doctor looked around for him, but he was nowhere to be found. Then the Doctor heard his voice coming from behind him. He turned, encouraging Rose to do the same.

"Captain Jack Harkness. Have you missed me?" Rose spun around and gaped at him.

"Jack!" she cried, throwing her arms around him in a huge embrace.

"Hey there, Rosie!" he replied, spinning her around. He put her down, holding her face in his hands. "Didn't think I'd ever see your gorgeous face again." The Doctor shook his head, chuckling.

"Oh, don't start now!"

"Can't I say hello to my favorite girl? Good to see you too, Doc." He grinned and moved over to the Doctor to hug him. The two men embraced for a few moments.

"Did you finally tell her?" Jack whispered. The Doctor nodded and the former time agent clapped him on the back in congratulations. The three friends looked at each other, all smiling.

Jack spoke first. "What do you say we go catch up?"

"TARDIS?" Rose offered. They all nodded. The girl reached over and grabbed the Doctor's hand, pulling him closer to her. Over the top of her head, the Doctor saw Jack smiling at the two of them.

"You two are so sweet, you know? I've been rooting for you guys since World War Two." The couple blushed, causing Jack to laugh at them. Upon arriving at the blue box, they all stepped inside. The TARDIS hummed in a welcoming way, having missed the two companions. The Doctor smiled.

"The immortal trio, back together again." They all grinned at each other lovingly.

"Just as it should be."

**A/N:** I'm honestly not to sure where to go with this now, so if I don't update for a while, it's probably because I'm madly trying to figure some sort of plot line out.

Well, everyone, thank you very much for being a part of this story with me. You honestly have no idea how much all your follows, favorites and reviews have meant to me. I started writing this as a distraction from my life and your enthusiasm has made me smile. Thanks for keeping me motivated and for reading this little tale about a madman in his box, trying to return to his Bad Wolf.

Keep on rockin'. ~S


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